AdvanSix Announces First Quarter 2018 Financial Results

Cash Flow from Operations of $44 million, up $13 million versus prior
year

Earnings Per Share of $0.37, down $0.51 versus prior year

Board of Directors authorizes $75 million share repurchase program

May 04, 2018 06:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

PARSIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AdvanSix (NYSE:ASIX) today announced its financial results for
the first quarter ending March 31, 2018. The Company successfully
managed through the previously disclosed weather-related production
issue at its Hopewell, Va. facility ("1Q18 weather-related event") and
generated improved cash flow.

1Q18 weather-related event resulted in an approximately $30 million
unfavorable impact to pre-tax income, as previously disclosed,
including the unfavorable impact of fixed cost absorption, maintenance
expense and incremental raw material costs, in addition to lost sales

Net Income of $11.6 million, a decrease of $15.7 million versus the
prior year

EBITDA of $30.8 million, a decrease of $26.3 million versus the prior
year

Cash Flow from Operations of $44.1 million, an increase of $12.9
million versus the prior year

Free Cash Flow of $13.4 million, an increase of $15.4 million versus
the prior year

“This quarter's results again demonstrate our ability to navigate a
dynamic environment and highlight the resiliency of our organization. We
successfully managed weather-related temporary production challenges,
maintained our focus on safe operations and generated higher free cash
flow. We also captured the benefit of improved market-based pricing this
quarter, supported by a continued favorable supply and demand
environment for our product lines overall,” said Erin Kane, president
and CEO of AdvanSix.

Summary first quarter 2018 financial results for the Company are
included below:

First Quarter 2018 Results

($ in Thousands, Except Earnings Per Share)

1Q 2018

1Q 2017

Sales

$359,238

$376,704

Net Income

11,593

27,293

Earnings Per Share (Diluted)

$0.37

$0.88

EBITDA (1)

30,790

57,076

EBITDA Margin % (1)

8.6%

15.2%

Cash Flow from Operations

44,067

31,206

Free Cash Flow (1)(2)

13,354

(2,008)

(1)

See “Non-GAAP Measures” included in this press release for
non-GAAP reconciliations

(2)

Net cash provided by operating activities less capital
expenditures

Sales volume in the quarter decreased 8% versus the prior year due to
the unfavorable impact from the 1Q18 weather-related event. Pricing
overall increased 3% versus the prior year, including a 1% favorable
impact from raw material pass-through pricing driven by increases in
benzene and propylene (inputs to cumene which is a key feedstock to our
products) costs. Market-based pricing was favorable by 2% compared to
the prior year with improved industry supply and demand dynamics in our
nylon and chemical intermediates product lines.

Sales by product line represented the following approximate percentage
of our total sales:

1Q 2018

1Q 2017

Nylon

28%

29%

Caprolactam

18%

21%

Ammonium Sulfate Fertilizers

19%

18%

Chemical Intermediates

35%

32%

EBITDA of $30.8 million in the quarter decreased $26.3 million from
EBITDA of $57.1 million in the prior year primarily due to the
approximately $30 million unfavorable impact of the 1Q18 weather-related
event, partially offset by favorable market-based pricing.

Cash flow from operations of $44.1 million in the quarter increased
$12.9 million versus the prior year primarily due to the favorable
impact of changes in working capital, partially offset by lower net
income and a reduction of deferred taxes. Capital expenditures of $30.7
million in the quarter decreased $2.5 million versus the prior year.

Outlook

Current favorable nylon industry conditions expected to continue; Late
start to North America planting season impacts timing of fertilizer
application

Full year 2018 planned plant turnarounds expected to be consistent
with historical levels in total ($30 to $35 million pre-tax income
impact)

Capital Expenditures expected to be $110 to $120 million for the full
year 2018, including $20 to $30 million incremental investment toward
high-return growth and cost savings project pipeline

Board of Directors authorized the Company to repurchase up to $75
million of its common stock as part of its capital deployment strategy

“We continue to position the Company for strong operational and
financial performance for years to come. We are focused on delivering
strong results for the remainder of 2018, while increasing our
investment in high-return growth and cost savings projects for sustained
long-term performance. Additionally, our first share repurchase
authorization demonstrates confidence in our continued cash flow
generation and our commitment to delivering value to our shareholders,”
added Kane.

Conference Call Information

AdvanSix will discuss its results during its investor conference call
today starting at 9:00 a.m. ET. To participate on the conference call,
dial (844) 855-9494 (domestic) or (412) 858-4602 (international)
approximately 10 minutes before the 9:00 a.m. ET start, and tell the
operator that you are dialing in for AdvanSix’s first quarter 2018
earnings call. The live webcast of the investor call as well as related
presentation materials can be accessed at http://investors.advansix.com.
Investors can hear a replay of the conference call from 12 noon ET on
May 4 until 12 noon ET on May 11 by dialing (877) 344-7529 (domestic) or
(412) 317-0088 (international). The access code is 10118643.

About AdvanSix

AdvanSix is a leading manufacturer of Nylon 6, a polymer resin which is
a synthetic material used by our customers to produce engineered
plastics, fibers, filaments and films that, in turn, are used in such
end-products as automotive and electronic components, carpets, sports
apparel, fishing nets and food and industrial packaging. As a result of
our backward integration and the configuration of our manufacturing
facilities, we also sell caprolactam, ammonium sulfate fertilizer,
acetone and other intermediate chemicals, all of which are produced as
part of our Nylon 6 integrated manufacturing chain. More information on
AdvanSix can be found at http://www.advansix.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This release contains certain statements that may be deemed
“forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements, other than
statements of historical fact, that address activities, events or
developments that our management intends, expects, projects, believes or
anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words like
"expect," "anticipate," "estimate," “outlook”, "project," "strategy,"
"intend," "plan," "target," "goal," "may," "will," "should" and
"believe" or other variations or similar terminology. Although we
believe forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable
assumptions, such statements involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results or
performance of the company to be materially different from any future
results or performance expressed or implied by such forward-looking
statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited
to: general economic and financial conditions in the U.S. and globally;
growth rates and cyclicality of the industries we serve; the impact of
scheduled turnarounds and significant unplanned downtime and
interruptions of production or logistics operations as a result of
mechanical issues or other unanticipated events such as fires, severe
weather conditions, and natural disasters; price fluctuations and supply
of raw materials; our operations requiring substantial capital; failure
to develop and commercialize new products or technologies; loss of
significant customer relationships; adverse trade and tax policies;
extensive environmental, health and safety laws that apply to our
operations; hazards associated with chemical manufacturing, store and
transportation; litigation associated with chemical manufacturing and
our business operations generally; inability to acquire and integrate
businesses, assets, products or technologies; protection of our
intellectual property and proprietary information; prolonged work
stoppages as a result of labor difficulties; cybersecurity incidents;
failure to maintain effective internal controls; our inability to
achieve some or all of the anticipated benefits of the spin-off from
Honeywell including uncertainty regarding qualification for expected tax
treatment and indebtedness incurred in connection with the spin-off;
fluctuations in our stock price; and tax reform or other changes in laws
or regulations applicable to our business. You are cautioned not to
place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak
only as of the date of this release. Such forward-looking statements are
not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments
and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by such
forward-looking statements. We identify the principal risks and
uncertainties that affect our performance in our filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release includes certain non-GAAP financial measures intended
to supplement, not to act as substitutes for, comparable GAAP measures.
Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to GAAP financial
measures are provided in this press release. Investors are urged to
consider carefully the comparable GAAP measures and the reconciliations
to those measures provided. Non-GAAP measures in this press release may
be calculated in a way that is not comparable to similarly-titled
measures reported by other companies.

Free cash flow is a non-GAAP measure and defined as Net cash
provided by operating activities less Expenditures for property,
plant and equipment

The Company believes that this metric is useful to investors and
management as a measure to evaluate our ability to generate cash flow
from business operations and the impact that this cash flow has on our
liquidity.

Reconciliation of Net Income to EBITDA

Three Months Ended

March 31,

2018

2017

Net income

$

11,593

$

27,293

Interest expense, net

3,089

1,539

Income taxes

3,566

16,948

Depreciation and amortization

12,542

11,296

EBITDA (2)

$

30,790

$

57,076

Sales

$

359,238

$

376,704

EBITDA margin (3)

8.6%

15.2%

(2)

EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure and defined as Net Income before
Interest, Income Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization

(3)

EBITDA margin is defined as EBITDA divided by Sales

The Company believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide
meaningful supplemental information as they are used by the Company’s
management to evaluate the Company’s operating performance, enhance a
reader’s understanding of the financial performance of the Company, and
facilitate a better comparison among fiscal periods and performance
relative to its competitors, as these non-GAAP measures exclude items
that are not considered core to the Company’s operations.